Malt-drier



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

F. GRATHWOHL.

MALT DRIER No. 324,469. Patented Aug. 18,'1885.,

P mila lnve ntor Attgrney ZZZ M22222 I J M L Fig. 3.

Witnesses n PETERS. Pmuthowher. Washington. nc

(No Model.) 2 SheetS-Sheet 2.

F. GRATHWOHL.

MALT DRIER.

N0. 324,469.- Patented Aug. 18,1885.

Witnesses Inventor Attorney UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRITZ GRATHYVOHL, OF OOVINGTON, KENTUCKY.

MALT-DRIER.

'EjPEGIPICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 324,469, dated August 18, 1885.

I r r I Application filed March 6, 1885. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, FRITZ GRATHWOHL, a former subject of the Emperor of Germany, who has declared his intention of becoming a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Qovington, Kenton county, Kentucky, have lnvented certain new and useful Improvements in Malt-Kilns, of which the following is a specification.

This invention pertains to improvements in kilns for drying malt; and it'relates to the arrangement of floors, chambers, &c., intended to hasten the process of drying, to reduce the amount of labor required, to economize in the fuel employed, and to improve the product.

My improvement is readily applicable to malt-kilns of ordinary construction and already constructed.

My improvements will be readily understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a plan of amalt-kiln embodying myimprovements, portions of the upper floorwork being broken away to expose to view the malting-chamber and floor below; Fig. 2, a vertical section of the same, and Fig. 3 a section similar to Fig. 2, except that the construction is simpler, many of the features of Fig. 2 being omitted, and Fig. 4 a horizontal sectional plan of the kiln below the malt-floor and through the receix'er, showing arrangement of the pipe-system.

In the drawings, A represents the walls of a malt-kiln B, one of the usual perforated maltfioors of the same; 0, a continuous box-like receiver arranged below the floor B, around near the walls of the kiln, and constructed of perforated metal like the malt floor; D, a tight sub-floor disposed just below the fioor B, and constructed of metal; E, the air-chamber formed between the malt-floor and this sub-floor; F, a pipe formed of perforated metal, and disposed along within the receiver 0; G, a circulating-fan of any ordinary construction adapted to produce a current of air; H, a pipesystem leading from various points in the perforated pipe F. through the circulating-fan to opening them from the making-chamber be- The malt-kiln is to be supplied with the I usual heatingfurnace below, with the usual chimneys. or moistureflues at the top, and with the usual doors, windows, 810., those doors and windows in the walls of the dryingrooms being made as air-tight as practicable.

In the operations of this kiln malt is spread, as usual, upon the malt-floor B. The heat passing, as usual, up through the floor M cannot pass through the floor B, Fig. 2, being prevented by the tight floor D. The heated air, however, enters the receiver through its perforated'sides, and the circulating-tan drawsthis air through the sides of the inner pipe, F, and through the pipes H, discharges it into the chamber E and up through the malt. The air rising from the maltpasses out as usual.

WVith the usual form of kiln it would be in order after the grain had been for some time subjected to the drying process, to turn it, shovel it, and redistribute it upon its floor, in order that new portions of the grain may be further treated, the grain being subsequently removed from the fioor. In my device, instead of this turning of the grain, I open the slide-dampers I from below, and push the trap-doors J, which are of course hidden under the malt, upward from below, thus permitting the malt near them to flow freely downward into the receiver, the bottom trapdoors of which are to be closed. The receiver is to have a capacity for holding all the malt which has been spread upon the floor B, and all that malt is to be passed from the floor B through the openings into the receiver. This operation leaves the receiver full of partiallydried grain, and leaves the floor B clean. slide-dampers are now closed from above, and the trap-doors J replaced, and a new charge of grain is spread upon the floor. The drying process now continues, as follows: The

The

heated air rising through the door M passes through the perforated sides of the receiver, as before, but on its way to the inner pipe, F, it is compelled to pass through the layers of malt within the receiver surrounding the inner pipe. This malt is partially dried, and now receives a further drying by the action of this heated air. The circulatingfan draws this air off, as before, and discharges it into the chamber E, whence it passes upward through the malt-floor and acts upon the green malt thereon. \Vhen the green malt upon the floor B has received the same treatment as was given that previously there, the trapdoors L are opened and the malt in the re ceiver is allowed to fall to the malt-floor M below, after which these trap-doors are closed and the malt from the floor B passed into the receiver, as before, and a new charge of green malt placed upon the floor B. The heat passing upward through the floor M now goes first through the malt thereon, which thus receives its third subjection to heat, then through the malt in the receiver, which now receives its second subjection, and then through the green malt on the floor B. Finally, the dried malt is removed from the floor M, which is again supplied from the receiver. In this way the malt receives three successive treatments with very little handling, and the heat employed is utilized to the fullest extent.

In the drawings Ihavc shown the malt-floor B as being provided with a receiver, &c., between it and the malt'floor below, and this arrangement may, if desired, be carried out with each 1na1t-floor-that is, the floor M as well as any malt-floors which may be below it, may be provided with a receiver, &c., as shown in connection with the floor B. The circulatingfan G has but light duty imposed upon it, and may in some cases be omitted entirely, it being obvious that if the usual chimneys or flues, which finally take the heated air from the chamber above the fioor B, have sutiicient draft, the air will be thus drawn up through the pipe-system F and H. The circulating-fan simply serves to furnish a circu lat ion in case the draft is sluggish.

In Fig. 3 I show the system very much simplified. In this construction there is no tight SllUfiOOl, the heated air rising freely from the floor M through the floor 3, and the malt; upon it,a portion of the air going through the malt in the receiver and out through the inner pipe, F, such inner pipe being omitted from this figure. In such a case as this the air passing outward through the pipe system from the inner pipe, F, may be discharged under the floor B or elsewhere, as desired. The floor of the receiver is in gutter form, as shown, and in practice I form one entire face of this gutter into hinged sections forming continuous trap-doors. The rod K passes angularly through the side wall of the receiver and terminates above, just below the slide-daniper, and it isprevented from falling out of place by a stop-collar. The openings of the trap-doors J inthe malt'floor B are boxed down to the subfloor and communicate with the receiver. These box portions, and also the trap-doors J, are perforated, but the slide dampers are tight. By this construction the entire surface of the floor B is utilized as a perforated malt-floor.

In practice I prefer to ar 'ange the receiver around near the wall of the kiln, as shown in the drawings, but such arrangement is not at all essential, it being sufficient that the receiver, or aseries of them, be arranged below the floor B and in communication with it through suitable openings.

I claim as my invention 1. In a malt-kiln, a perforated malt-floor, a chamber below such floor having aperforated floor, a perforated receiver suspended from the first-mentioned floor, openings with doors through the upper malt-floor into the receiver, and openings at the bottom of the receiver, combined substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a malt-kiln, a perforated malt-floor, a receiver with perforated walls disposed beneath said floor continuously near its margin, openings with doorsthrough said floor,in communication with the receiver, doors at the bottom of the receiver, and a perforated floor below the receiver, combined substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a malt-kiln, a perforated floor, a receiver with perforated walls disposed below said floor, openings with doors through said floor, in communication with the receiver, doors at the bottom of the receiver, a perforated pipe disposed within the receiver, and an outlet'pipe system connected with said perforated pipe, combined substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In amalt-kiln, aperforated malt-floor, a receiver with perforated walls disposed below said floor, openings with doors in said maltfloor, in communication with the receiver, doors at the bottom of the receiver, a perforated inner pipe disposed within the receiver, and a pipe-system leading from said perforated pipe and discharging immediately below said malt-floor, combined substantially as set forth.

5. In a malt-kiln, a perforated malt-floor, a tight sub-floor below the same, a receiver with perforated walls disposed. below said floors, openings with doors in said malt-floor,in communication with the receiver, doors at the bottom of the receiver, a perforated pipe disposed within the receiver, and a pipe system leading from said perforated pipe and discharging into the chamber between the malt-- floor and the tight floor, combined substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In a malt-kiln, the combination of perforated floor B, tight floor 1), below the same, receiver 0, below said two floors, openings and doors J, placing the receiver in communi cation with the malt-chamber above the perforated floor, sliding dampers I, serving to cut off such communication at a point level slide-dampers I infloor D at such passages, 10 with the tight floor; doors L, at the bottom of and rods K, reaching upward through the rethe receiver, perforated pipes F, within the ceiver and adapted to engage the doors receiver, and outlet-pipe system H, connected J, substantially as and for the purpose set with saidperforated pipes, substantially as l forth.

and for the purpose set forth. FRITZ GRATHNOHL.

7. The combination of receiver 0," provided \Vitnesses: with passages upward through the floors D J SEE, and E, doors J in fioor B at such passages,

W; A. SEWARD, 

